Florida health officials: No vax for healthy kids

Florida health officials are set to recommend against vaccinating “healthy” children, Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said on Monday.

The move is set to defy national guidance from the Biden administration and Democrat-run states, many of which continue to recommend masking and vaccinations for young children.

Speaking at a roundtable event organized by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis with a group of doctors critical of the Biden administration’s coronavirus lockdowns and vaccine mandates, Ladapo said that the Sunshine State will be the first to issue guidance against vaccinating “healthy” kids.

“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said at the end of the event, which was convened to discuss the failures in the nation’s response to COVID-19.

“We´re kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit,” he said.

The guidance from the Florida Department of Health remains forthcoming.

“The data that’s coming in on this is showing for healthy kids very little benefit in terms of what the vaccine is doing and that’s weighed against the fact that they’re at very, very low risk,” DeSantis said at a press conference later Monday.

“Individuals can make their own decision… but I think the data is in line with what the surgeon general recommended,” the governor added.

The advice goes against recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five or older.

Late February, Ladapo and DeSantis announced the state’s virus policy recommendations discouraging mask-wearing and directed doctors to exercise their own judgment when treating patients of COVID-19, including the use of emerging treatments like monoclonal antibody therapy.

In the face of criticism from Democrats over his opposition to lockdowns and pro-masking policies, the Florida state senate confirmed Ladapo as the surgeon general.

Ian Miles Cheong

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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

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